Murang’a Governor Irungu Kang’ata has revealed that his administration is looking to capitalize on the ongoing trade tensions between China and the United States.
Speaking in an interview on Sunday, June 8, Kang'ata said his mission is to position Murang’a as a top destination for Chinese manufacturers seeking to invest in Africa.
"I am planning to go to China. We want to take advantage of the current tiff between China and America. China is the leading manufacturing base in the world but because of the tariffs which are being put up by America, that is now incentivizing Chinese manufacturing to move out of China and come and set-up base here in Africa.
"Murang’a wants to position itself as the premier choice for manufacturers. We aim to value-add various commodities that we produce in our farms, like avocado," he said.
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Kang'ata noted that his administration is prioritizing industrial development as the key driver for the county's economic growth.
"We believe that there is no country that has ever developed in the whole world without manufacturing. As a county, we believe that to move forward, we must pivot to manufacturing. We decided to organize this event to attract manufacturers to come and put their industries in Murang’a," he added.
Since January 2025, President Donald Trump's administration has aggressively escalated trade measures against China.
Initially, Trump invoked a national emergency in February, adding a 10% tariff on all Chinese imports, framed as a response to China’s alleged role in the fentanyl crisis.
By March and April, this universal levy expanded into a sweeping Liberation Day policy, a 10% base tariff on nearly everything.
China retaliated to the initial 10–20% US hikes by imposing 15% tariffs on coal and LNG, 10% on oil and farm machinery, and targeted agricultural goods like soy and pork.
By April, China matched US reciprocal tariffs at levels surpassing 125% on many US imports and even imposed non‑tariff export controls.
Beijing restricted vital rare-earth metals, critical to global high‑tech and defense supply-chains, through licensing and outright suspension.
